Lea Michele is speaking out about how she was treated as a young actress.
"People would tell me to get nose jobs, that I wasn't pretty enough for film and television," the Funny Girl star, 36, told Town & Country magazine about how she was pushed to achieve Hollywood's "ideal."
The Glee alum managed to persevere in the industry without resorting to surgery while drawing comparisons to her idol, Barbra Streisand, who originated the lead role of Fanny Brice in 1964 — and who recently wrote a "complimentary" note to the Broadway star.
"It was a beautiful, hand-written note that I will cherish," Michele said. "She was incredibly complimentary. It exists. It happened, and now I feel like so many dreams can come true."
"She was an icon for me in my life," she added.
Despite her affection for the show and her own Broadway success, Michele still feels as though she's in the entertainment legend's shadow.
"I will never be as good as Barbra Streisand," Michele told The New York Times in September.
But Michele does have a long history with Funny Girl. Not only has she been outspoken about her love for Streisand, 80, but her Glee character Rachel Berry played the role of Fanny Brice in a fictional revival of the show, singing many of the musical's iconic songs on the Fox series including "Don't Rain on My Parade," "People," "My Man" and "I'm the Greatest Star."
Recently, the Spring Awakenings alum also reprised another look.
In October, the Emmy nominee revealed new curtain bangs, which she couldn't help but compare to the wispy fringe she donned during her days on the hit Fox show.
"BERRY BANGS ARE BACK WHATTT," commented one user while another marked the moment as the birth of "Rachel Berry 3.0."
The Brunette Ambition author rocked her chic updo at the God's Love We Deliver 2022 Golden Heart Awards in New York, where she dazzled in a Michael Kors gold cutout dress on the red carpet and performed on stage with a rendition of "People" from the 1968 musical film.
